Nation Network 2017 Prospect Profile: #45 Morgan Frost

Checking in as the 45th ranked prospect in the Nation Network rankings is Barrie, Ontario native Morgan Frost.

A skilled playmaker who reads the play well and makes perfect passes on the regular is an intriguing prospect in the middle part of the second round. He didn’t blow the doors off with his production or play but he has the size, anticipation, puck skills and passing abilities that he has legitimate upside.

Scouts:

A playmaking pivot who reads the game intelligently…calm and poised…agile on his skates and possesses excellent edgework, enabling him to cut in and out of defenders quickly to make plays…always looking for his best option…carries the puck with speed and is strong on the attack, dishing at the right time and right on the tape of his target before continuing on into the zone as a pass back option…smart with and without the puck…not much of a shooter as he looks to distribute the puck on the majority of plays…like many true playmakers, seems to be able to sense or even force defenders to collapse in on him, creating time and space for his teammates to get in position for one of his beautiful setups…defensively, he knows where his check is at all times…works hard in the defensive zone and chipping in down low…will grind it out when needed and isn’t afraid of a little contact taking place…has plenty of upside but also plenty of development still ahead.

Our Take:

Primarily centring Zach Senyshyn and Bobby Macintyre in a top six role for the Greyhounds, Frost had a productive season. Breaking the 20 goal plateau while putting up 42 assists is an impressive feat for the Barrie native.

Frost moves the puck well, and has the patience to allow space to be created for his teammates. He consistently allowed Senyshyn to get into grade A chance locations, and then threaded the pass to him. Frost was also quite responsible in his own zone.

Ideally – we would see a little more consistent production, as there was quite a few breaks in production during the middle parts of the season but overall, Frost hovered around the 1.0 PPG mark for the majority of the season. When he is compared to other draft eligible OHL forwards, his 0.93 PPG rates favourably:

Matthew Strome has some concern about his sating, while Keating has been underrated by most skating services. After that, there is a drop off and Frost likely aligns more with the upper grouping rather than the lower ranked ones.

One drawback to Frost’s play is that he isn’t a flashy player. He sometimes looks to be playing slower than the game is going, but that is him processing the game and waiting for the chances. That skill is something that generally can’t be taught. He will need to ensure that he doesn’t spend too much time waiting for things to happen because as you progress up the ladder, the time with the puck shrinks.

Frost’s 2.12 SH/PG ranked 21st amongst the first time draft OHL forwards – that is attributed to him moving the puck to his line mates more than taking the shot himself. He was particularly strong in the circle, winning 52.75% of his draws during the regular season.

Looking at Frost’s output in it’s entirety – he produced at a first line rate in assists and points per game. But fell below that with eTOI, goals and shooting. This isn’t surprising given the game that he plays. With an expanded role due to graduation, ideally Frost shoots more and adds that element to his game.

With a lot of comparable players (n=252), there is a huge cross section of players when looking at pGPS for Frost. A noteworthy 27.9% of his cohorts did go onto NHL careers of some sort.

Frost feels like a safe pick in the second round. If he does develop into an NHL player, it likely is a really good fourth line centre who can play on the third line in a pinch and maybe a bit higher. That thought process is re-affirmed by the line deployment graph above. That isn’t a bad thing, but there may be other options available with a higher ceiling. Just depends on what a team is looking for.